Youth Hostelling...wah!!!

The decision to stay at the Youth Hostel was a straight forward one. The reasons a) Advised to do so by Jessica b) Cheapest 3) Sounds fun 4) Cheapest 5) Cheapest

The men were clear on this, the women were iffy - at the end they also stayed here. It had the nice traveller feel to it. No nonsense. You check in - given a card key with a bed reference and a locker, a travel pass, a fresh bed sheet and pillow cover and a breakfast token. The dorms, we were in a 10 berth one, are full of bunk beds - Koreans, japsm Czechs..we met them all....and you do not need a common language to get across. All enthu people - the czech had hiked across Europe!! Great fun. The loos were clean with hot showers. Great value for Pound

Breakfast was hearty - muesli, yogurt- plain and flavoured, milk, bread ( as much), butter, jam., hot milk, tea/ coffee/ chocolate ( as much )....and all included in the fare!! Hogged well on both the days.

yes, Hostellling - I like you... you are fun, and great value too!! Highly recommended. Caution: use your locker and do not tempt the devil.

In and Out of France....

Making the trip to Saleve 1000 metres up a steep hill + was on the cards - said to have spectacular views over Geneva on one side, and the Alps on the other. The only hitch - it is across the border in France - and two in the group were without valid Schengen visas ( the ladies had decided to make a full day package tour to Chamonix instead).... well, we just walked across the border, and took the steep, steep ( near vertical) but very swift ropeway up. Phenomenal views unfolded - despite not being the clearest of days.



The hike up was a steep one, but through a beautiful wooded slope - and sharp wind and cold!! real cold - the trip was well worth it. Celebrated with a small bottle of wine split all around. The ride down, the crossing back across the border - just as the Frontier Police landed up to do surprise checks...Tushar's expression captures it all! Safely back....an excellent outing!!



Some of the other sites and sounds of Geneva below...including the Turkish / Doner kebab joint, Aly Hyder!

WTO & The Sunny Afternoon....

Friday morning at the EU commission to the WTO - with tea and coffee in the meeting room! All happy. Howard made up for the no food the previous day with a lunch at a nice cafe..enjoyed pouring rose wine from a carafe ( like the Paris experience)...and a free lunch is always welcome. Need we add that the breakfast at the hotel had been done full justice to as well.

The session with the Indian Ambassador to the WTO was sharp, and Mr Bhatia held forth forcefully on India's position. Cleared perspectives all along. was this the office building that had been Sharad Mama's office? Thought so, but not quite sure.

skimming across the water, Mont Blanc looking down benevolently - quite a thrill. And a woAt the WTO were were met by a PR lady - not really equipped to handle our queries - but the superb afternoon by the lake more than made up for it! Cold, windy, clear skies, yachtsnderful photo-op. Let these pictures tell the tale...Abdullah at his happiest best here as well!
With the official leg over, we were on our own.

Meeting with an ol' pal...

Amandeep Singh, the chhota sardar, at IIM had long disappeared into the firmament. Quite co-incidentally, LinkdIn connected us a month or two back...he was in Geneva with P&G...wow! and quite by chance, I'd be at Geneva too for this study visit!

His directions were meticulous - and as I got off the train at Genthod-Bellevue, here was the smiling sardar with his lil' daughter Sargun....quite a delight to see him...now with a few strands of grey hair in his beard...but very much the same earthy, jolly self. Enjoyed catching up, chatting with his ten year old son Hardik. Bandana, his better half, was very warm - and superbly efficient at managing the spacious three storied villa single handedly without an iota of external aid. Felt most at ease, was fed a hearty dinner and dropped back to the hotel in his spanking BMW!! He had most graciously accepted our pile on request for the four men in the Gurukul group the next day - and Bandana was most kind to give us all a hearty meal. His parents were visiting, and it was nice catching up with them- as both Abdullah, the cop from Pakistan and Tushar spoke Punjabi well.

Aman is doing brilliantly well...from Ankleshwar plant of Asian Paints to P&G in Mumbai, Singapore, Frankfurt and Geneva - he's become an expert in his own field. Just as modest, just as quiet - good to see some people not change!

It is a small , small world!

Geneve...here we come!

The Air France flight was noteworthy: managed to have two helpings of the breakfast, with Anita, sitting next to me, very politely setting the trend. And the other important aspect was to get hold of enough plastic glasses for our stay. Mission accomplished.

Outstanding weather in Geneva - blue skies, with a chilly breeze. The airport set the mood for the town. Quiet, and well organised. Immigration was a breeze- a quick look at our passports, the student visa of the UK and we were waved through. No stamping, no fuss.

Picked up our bags, and followed Howard Machin ( our course director) around the airport. Howard switched effortlessly into French - Geneve is entirely French speaking. Before long, we were on one the ( double decker) super efficient trains that the Swiss have in plenty- and were are Gare Cornavin ( Geneva's Central Train/ Bus station). Too quiet still. A little stroll along rue de Lausanne gets us to Hotel Royal - a nice, mainstream hotel for the"official" part of our stay.

A new thrill of Geneve is the Travel pass, which you get the moment you check into a hotel - it entitles you to all public transport in Geneva ( Tram, Train, Bus & Boat!)....so, if you feel cold, as we did one day - all you have to do is to hop into one of these and be in a nice comfortably heated environment without paying a penny!

To the ILO we went, suitably suited and booted- the cravats surfacing too. A tram from right opposite the hotel to "Nations" ( please, please...pronounce it right....it is Naa-cee-on) whizzed us to the UN. A hittle walk ( hike?) uphill got us to ILO. Passports deposited in return for entry passes, in we went....Impressive building but ever so empty! There was a coffee break scheduled, which had us salivating...no breakfast or lunch ( oh, you an't count two helpings of the plane food can you?)...

The Chair with the broken leg outside the UN offices - see the pix - must figure the whta and why of that!1












till the coffee break meant that we were directed to the paid cafeteria....pooh!! struggled with the French to get the much needed cups in place and fortified returned to the sessions.

The gentleman in the last session, very thoughtfully, I must add, re-located his meeting to a higher floor with windows: and from, one had the loveliest view of the lake, Geneva town - and looming in the distance Mont Blanc ( Maun Blaan, if you please -the highest peak in Europe). Cameras came out, and the shutters clicked. Attention was a bit low in this spell - blame it on the weather and the view. Check out the blue sky, and the view from the ILO office!

The London City Airport....Cute!

Not normally a word I would use for an airport - Cute! Well here comes a backgrounder...

London has two big and major airports -Heathrow & Gatwick. Then comes along two more, a little distant, and normally used by the low cost airlines- Stanstead and Luton. City airport, is the the closest to the heart of the city,located in the rapidly developing docklands area ( the most devastated part of London in WW II. There is a catch - it has a short, short runway: and so can be used by a limited number of aircraft, and that too of a particular type. More of that later...

We chanced upon using this airport for the trip to Geneva. Getting to LCY is half the fun- a normal Underground ride to Bank, and then a seamless switch to the Docklands Light Railway ( DLR). These pilotless trains are indeed a delight to ride through, and are mostly on the surface. Take the front seat, and you have a wonderful view of the dockland area, with the new architectural masterpieces ( the Millenium Dome, which Tushar has made me admire a million times) - and the water bodies and surface craft all over. The ride takes you right into LCY - a neat, squarish and very compact airport. Check-ins are largely self service, and the whole place is very cozy. A courteous security check procedure, and into an area with cafes duty free ( only if flying to outside the EU - and Switzerland is NOT a part of the EU). A very cozy, and unlike international airportish feel!

Our flight was on Air France Cityjet ( a cross, I guess, between the low cost short hop airlines and good ol' AF). Avro's, with 4 jet engines. 6 abreast in about 15 rows. Short, stubby aircraft. Why? Because of the short LCY runway. And you feel this in the take off thrust: sharp, acceleration, throwing you back - and in a few seconds you are airborne ( and treated to some very views indeed).

And as we discovered on the return, LCY has the Arrival & Departure traffic merging very seamlessly. No two levels, or other paraphernalia.

Yup, LCY - you are a hit. Close to the city, no hassles and still have the modesty of size with you. Mogambo khush hua....

An evening in Paree...